The Strib's poll suggests you could double the number of Bills backers in MN... and Amy would still win.

According to a Star Tribune poll conducted by Mason-Dixon, Republican Kurt Bills trails incumbent U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar by a comical margin.

Conducted last week, the poll found that 57 percent of of likely voters plans to vote for Klobuchar, compared to 28 percent for Bills. In other words, Klobuchar is more than doubling up her Republican challenger. Furthermore, 60 percent of the 800 likely voters surveyed don't even know who Bills is! Ouch. (Bills' internal polling shows him trailing by a less ghastly margin of 15 percent.)

Bills has already received a lot of criticism from both the left and right for running a shoddy campaign. Now, he's under renewed fire for issuing two press releases this week that use sexist and derogatory language to describe Klobuchar.

The first release, published Monday, basically blasts the media for not asking Klobuchar tougher questions about her congressional record. Because, you know, blasting the media is the most effective way to get journalists to cover you more favorably.

"It's time to hold Washington politicians accountable. It's time for the Minnesota media to hold Klobuchar accountable. Perhaps even ask her an uncomfortable question or two, and not just blindly accept her spin," said Mike Osskopp, campaign manager for the Kurt Bills campaign.

"The media has been AWOL during this campaign. It's as if they are pretending that Klobuchar is not running for reelection. She has a record, and should be held accountable for it," said Osskopp.

"The media is giving Klobuchar a pass. Where are the tough questions? Where are the follow-ups? Who has asked Amy about why she supports a budget deficit plan that just about everybody else believes is a potential economic calamity, regardless of ideology? Where is her plan for the economy, the middle east, or entitlement reform?"

"Klobuchar is a Senator, not a Prom Queen," Osskopp concluded.

Yesterday, in the wake of the Strib poll, the Bills campaign upped the ante. The crux of the issue was the party identifications of people surveyed. From the Strib:

The Strib stands behind its Klobuchar-Bills poll, citing the fact that the Minnesota Poll pegged Klobuchar's 20-point victory over Mark Kennedy in 2006. But the Bills campaign criticized it, citing the 2010 gubernatorial campaign -- the final Minnesota Poll showed Mark Dayton up seven points, but of course he ended up needing a recount to prevail.

"We have been complaining about media bias, and of course the media ignores the charge. But if ever there was evidence of bias, this is it. A 13 point Democrat advantage in party ID isn't credible to even the most partisan analyst," said Osskopp.

"Don't forget, Amy's Dad was a columnist for the Star Tribune for 3 decades. It's no coincidence that they are pulling for Daddy's little girl," Osskopp concluded.

Set aside the sexist comments in the press release for just a moment and focus on the theory being presented by Bills' campaign: The company hired by the Star Tribune to conduct the poll, Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Inc., fudged the numbers in favor of Klobuchar because her father worked for the Star Tribune 16 years ago. This is absolutely ridiculous and spending the time to write out their theory is the maximum amount of time I'm willing to spend discussing it.

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Amy Klobuchar is clueless about our economy, the problems in the middle-east, how to create jobs, how to lower energy prices, how to fix our national debt and pretty much everything else a United States Senator needs to vote upon. Amy has been nothing but an Obama lapdog eagerly voting as she is told. I think Minnesotan's are smart enough to see that Amy and her comrades in the Obama regime have had their chance and have proven themselves as utterly incompetent. Minnesotans will head to the polls this November to vote for Kurt Bills who, as an economics professor, understands how economies operate and will work to fix our economy. Kurt Bills will work to remove the overbearing government restraints on our economy to allow for the return of good paying private sector jobs. Kurt understand how high energy prices burden an economy so he will work to expand responsible development of Americas own vast energy sources.So that's your choice Minnesota; vote for Amy to get more pool drain laws, and laws to make felons out of people who post youtube videos. Or, vote for Kurt Bills who has the knowledge, understanding and determination to lower energy prices, fix our economy, cut our national debt, eliminate government burdens to restore good paying jobs, and put us back on the path to prosperity.

What a bunch of clowns. Mark Kennedy tried the "Daddy's Girl" line on Klobuchar in 2006 to attack the STrib's credibility, and it didn't work then. Sen. Klobuchar certainly doesn't need any help from the loathsome likes of Brodkorb, though. Clearly Brodkorb is looking to settle some scores. The infightiing in the MN GOP must be ferocious, between the religious nuts, the Tea Party Libertarian nuts, and the mere mysogynistic sadists of no particular ideology. Reasonable people having been long since expelled from the party, of course.

I've heard a few snippets of Bills' "debates" with Klobuchar. He comes across as a particularly nasty pedant, used to crushing any disagreement with ponderous jibber-jabber. He knows a few things, but knows them wrong. He has no idea how a modern economy works, for one thing, which is sort of a glaring defect in an Economics teacher. His overall attitude is that of a smug, demeaning, bully with the corresponding paper-thin skin and inability to respond to a question without resorting to ad hominem.

I don't like Sen. Klobuchar that much because I'm sick of prosecuting attorneys and their political ambitions, and what that has done to our system of justice among other things. In more reasonable times, she would be recognized for what she is, which is a "moderate" Republican. But she is so far above Bills' league his decision to run against her speaks strongly to a delusional assessment of his own abilities. She doesn't even need to show up until Nov. 6 when she gives her Thank-You speech around 7:15 PM.

Kurt Bills is in over his head, small fish in a large pond. He needs to resort to name calling to get attention. Unfortunately it makes him look weak and petty. YIPPEE when he is back in the classroom after the election, molding the minds of our future leaders.

The poll said 60% didn't recognize Bills' name. I bet they do now. Women at least probably recognize it, and I bet many of them see that attitude and recognize some of what they've had to put up with themselves.

Yeah, the Star Tribune is run by a columnist who retired two or three owners and a turnover of management ago. She's a senator only because her daddy used to write about sports. OK, makes as much sense as anything else Bills has to say.

Really sad that this is the best they could come up with to run against Amy. Agree weak campaign, no message.. Fire the campaign mgr and get this guy on point with a real media campaign. Obviously stopping in Gonvik MN is not really driving his poll numbers.

@conservative Great, now get that message out to the masses and not the city pages liberal drones. Up until 2 days ago I had no idea who was running against Amy. My god you've got the easiest campaign on earth to run. Ignore all social issues and hammer on economy, economy, economy.

We're suffering and Amy is busy voting on swimming pools. Her and Reid have not passed a budget in 4 years. She has been nothing but a rubber stamp for Reid and the Obama administration. Losing to a record like that is gross incompetence.